The Holiday Guide is full of the latest and greatest, but what if you
have someone younger on your list who needs some helpful film history?
Here’s a list of 5 Christmas DVDs every human (over the age of 14)
would enjoy.

The Classic – “It’s a Wonderful Life” (1946)
This movie is the quintessential Christmas movie. It shows you how to
be both giving and self-reflective; to view your actions and how they
impact others. It’s a lovely example of a black & white film and of
one of the best actors of that generation, James Stewart. Everyone
should know the line “Every time a bell rings, an angel gets his
wings.” and have it melt your heart. It shows us the true richness of
family and friends over material affluence, but in a way so subtle
that you barely take notice. Like all the others on this list, it’s a
film you could watch every single year. Heart-warming. Simply
heart-warming.

I love all awards show. That’s clear to anyone who knows me and anyone who has read this blog. The Oscars are the glamourous cream of the crop. Best of the best. But the Emmy’s feel like a reunion with all the friends who come into your living room each day. Hello old friends! It’s a fun game to see who wins, but to me it just seems like a fantastic party. The more the merrier. Where were you, Bill Murray, that you couldn’t accept your award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Movie or Miniseries? You would make a great party greater. Read the rest of this entry →

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Each week, one of Biff Bam Pop’s illustrious writers will delve into one of their favourite things. Perhaps it’s a movie or album they’ve carried with them for years. Maybe it’s something new that moved them and they think might move you too. Each week, a new subject, a new voice writing on…something they love.

DVD special features are not widely commented on in the media since DVD releases are not much of a breaking or interesting story. Nor are the commentaries automatically included, far less so nowadays with movie streaming popularity. To that end, it often seems like a bit of a gift to the viewer who enjoyed the film or simply wanted to know more about how it was made. Sadly, those that do exist tend to fall into two categories. Either they are dry and dull with huge gaps between comments or, those where too many of the cast gets together, open some beers and proceed to giggle, talk over each other, and continuously fall behind the pace of the film. Neither option is particularly enjoyable. But a rare few are the gems that are the “Fight Club” DVD commentary, narrated primarily by leads Brad Pitt and Edward Norton along with director David Fincher, with the addition of a few bits (recorded separately) by Helena Bonham Carter.

I delight in the various short-lived but regular film-viewing arrangements I’ve had in my life. Whether with a partner, a colleague, a group of friends, or family, I have stumbled into brief periods of time when film watching is a regular, dependable, often weekly occurrence. With one such group, the activity was a Sunday film rental. After weeks of dramas and comedies, I was finally outnumbered on the popular, but terrifying The Ring. Although I had managed to avoid it during its theatrical run, I had heard how it made people jump and scream and the anticipation during the trip home from the video store was very nearly worse than the actual viewing. The trailer of the film that replayed in my head did nothing to quell my concerns. We can all picture the girl peeking out accusingly from behind her long black scraggly hair with the mere mention of the title.

In my 3rd year university film theory class, my professor thought his lesson plan genius in picking each film for the year from the horror genre. It was, in his words, to keep us awake. I have yet to thank him for it, but I’d like to think this review may be an appetizer to my eventual revenge. To his credit, however, the films spanned many decades, and the ones from the earlier part of the century, with clunky technology and transparent “effects” were easy and even amusing to watch. But it was upon reaching Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer when things got very real.

Not unlike Toronto as a prominent character in “The F Word” (2014), gore is a key factor in Cabin Fever: Patient Zero (2014) as each plot point and story turn revolves around it. The scenes that make me watch from between tensed fingers to shield my eyes are the ones that stick in my head weeks afterward. Blood, guts, flesh, ooze, pus, organs and limbs, their texture and, often, trajectory, remains embedded in the “can’t unsee” category of my brain. If you delight in that kind of movie, you will not be disappointed. It should also be praised for the way in which those juicy parts do not come off as overused or cliché, but rather blend into the narrative. Given the immeasurable films in this genre, it’s not an easy feat. Of course I have not seen them all, nor more than most, but I was impressed. In my interview with director Kaare Andrews, I couldn’t even start the conversation without confessing how he’d managed to gross me out and make my skin crawl.

On May 28th Biff Bam Pop’s own Leiki Veskimets sat down with noted comic book artist, writer, and feature film director Kaare Andrews, in Toronto to discuss his latest feature, Cabin Fever: Patient Zero and quickly discovered why it’s still not safe to get back in the water. More after the jump.

Biff Bam Pop’s Leiki Veskimets and Shawn Ashmore have been friends for over 10 years, so with “X-Men Days of Future Past” coming out and “The Following” renewed for a third season, it seemed like a good time to try her hand at interviewing him about all things Shawn, Iceman and Mike Weston. This exclusive interview to BiffBamPop took place in April. Read her in-depth profile of the ‘coolest’ guy she is proud to know after the jump.